Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Essex

Inspection report for children’s home: 1258092 1 Registered provider: Cambian Childcare Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This privately owned children’s home provides care for four children. The children may have had traumatic experiences that have left them vulnerable.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

There has been no registered manager since July 2022. A manager has been appointed but is yet to register with Ofsted.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 1258092 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

10/05/2021 Full Good 23/09/2019 Full Good 19/06/2018 Full Good 13/12/2017 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 1258092 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

No children have moved into or out of the home since the last inspection. Four children were living at the home at the time of this inspection.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are happy at this home. Children and staff play together and eat together. Staff and children work together to resolve problems and they celebrate children’s achievements together. Staff have worked hard to create a family-style home that works very much as a nurturing family would. These experiences are hugely beneficial to children, giving them a sense of belonging and a sense of empowerment. Children who live at this home know that they are valued and feel loved by the staff.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from living long-term at the home. Children feel settled and respond well to consistent and continuous care. They make good progress in education and can communicate their needs more effectively. Children’s social skills improve and behaviours that challenge adults decrease because of the support that children receive.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Activities are broad and varied and tailored to each child’s preferences. Children have enjoyed swimming lessons and trips to theme parks. They enjoyed a holiday in the summer. Children go to clubs in the community, such as youth club, badminton, pony club and football. This engagement helps children to have a sense of belonging in the local community.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Celebration boards around the home proudly show off children’s achievements. This gives children a sense of pride and ensures that their celebratory moments are shared with all the staff. Photos of children are placed all around the home. Staff create memory books for children that are brimming with photos of the children and staff. These serve as positive reminders of fun and happy times that the children have enjoyed with staff.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Key working is tailored to children’s known and emerging needs. The records are written as letters to the children from the staff. The style of the key working is very child-centred. It is responsive and targets topics that the children need further support with. Staff discuss meaningful subjects, including the rationale for certain decisions being made about children’s care. Staff understand the importance of providing children with the right guidance at the right time.

p.3

How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Children benefit from regular therapeutic intervention from a mental health practitioner, who works at the home. All children receive therapy once a week. Therapy is delivered in a specific ‘therapy room’, which is based in the garden of the home. This enables children to discuss, in a separate area from their home, how to Inspection report for children’s home: 1258092 4 manage their feelings and emotions. This is a well-considered arrangement as staff are fully aware of the powerful emotions that therapy can evoke. This understanding has led staff, under the guidance of the mental health practitioner, to create ‘sensory sacks’. These sacks contain items that the children enjoy holding or seeing. These are individually tailored to each child. Before, during and after therapy, the children can use these sacks to enable their transition back to the home. The mental health practitioner said that these items help the children to manage their feelings in a safe

p.3

How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

way. Staff are exceptionally understanding of the children’s experience of therapy, including the negative and positive outcomes that may arise because of it.

p.4

How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Staff have provided children with ‘sibling blankets’. These have pictures of the children’s brothers and sisters on them. The children wrap themselves up in these blankets at times when they are missing their brothers and sisters. This is an exceptionally well-considered provision that enables children to feel connected to the ones they love.

p.4

How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Staff only use restraint as a last resort. When it is used, restraint is reasonable, proportionate and necessary. Children are provided with an opportunity to discuss their feelings and emotions after being involved in a restraint. Management monitoring of restraint records ensures that any issues identified are addressed with staff to improve practice.

p.4

How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Staff have a good understanding of safeguarding processes and procedures. When required, staff liaise effectively with relevant professionals to keep children safe.

p.4

How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

The management team failed to record the outcome of an allegation made by one child against another. Staff were responsive; however, the outcome was not recorded and neither was the rationale for not reporting the concern to Ofsted. Failure to record the outcomes of allegations does not enable effective review of actions taken or give assurance that children are safeguarded.

p.4

How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Consequences for unwanted behaviour are used infrequently and they are reasonable and proportionate. Some records of consequences do not contain all information required by regulation. The manager has missed opportunities to review the outcome and effectiveness of these consequences.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is in the process of applying for registration with Ofsted. Two requirements and one recommendation made at the last inspection have been met. There have been improvements in staff following risk assessments, and external monitoring is taking place as required.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager knows all the children exceptionally well. She knows the strengths of the home and areas that could be developed to enhance children’s experiences. The manager takes appropriate action when she identifies that children need additional support or guidance. The manager ensures that children are provided with activities Inspection report for children’s home: 1258092 5 and experiences that enrich their lives. The children clearly love being around the manager and frequently seek her out to spend time with her.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Since the last inspection, eight staff have left the home, including the previous registered manager. Seven new staff members have joined. Despite the changes to the staff team, the children continue to progress. This indicates that the home has good systems and structures in place to maintain standards despite the staffing changes.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Newly appointed staff said that their thorough induction and welcome to the home have enabled them to gain a good understanding of the children and the ethos of the home.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff said that the responsible individual and the manager are accessible and approachable. They both have a visible presence at the home. The responsible individual visits the home regularly. She has established nurturing relationships with the children and professional relationships with the staff.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager works exceptionally well with other professionals, such as teachers and social workers. She understands that multi-agency working benefits children. The children’s best interests are at the heart of her care practices. This is modelled to the team. Consequently, the culture and ethos of the home are fully rooted in child advocacy and the promotion of children’s rights.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

When a child was without an education placement, the staff were tenacious in trying to find a placement. When staff identified that teaching staff could meet one child’s needs more effectively, the home’s therapist trained the teaching staff in the approach used at the home. Staff have shared strategies that they use to work with a child to reduce behaviours that challenge adults.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

In general, the home looks and feels like a family home. Several improvements have been made to the home. New flooring, furniture, bathroom fittings and a kitchen have been installed. Despite these improvements, issues persist relating to the maintenance of the property. One child’s bedroom has substantial cracking in the wall. Although this has been checked by surveyors, the appearance is not homely and detracts from the atmosphere that the staff work hard to create. One child’s bedroom door has a hole in it. Despite requests to the organisation’s maintenance team to repair the door, it remains damaged.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Training for staff is good, overall. However, not all staff have received training around sexual behaviour and development. There have been occasions when staff have needed to address specific behaviours but, without the necessary training, they are not sufficiently equipped to support these needs effectively. In addition, staff are providing care for children with autism spectrum disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). However, staff have not been provided with training in ADHD. This reduces the quality of support that staff can offer to children with this condition. Inspection report for children’s home: 1258092 6

p.5

Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) must take to meet the Care Standards Act 2000, Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’. The registered person(s) must comply within the given timescales.

p.6

Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

p.6

Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

p.6

Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

p.6

Requirement Due date

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

p.6

Requirement Due date

enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(i)(ii))

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that repairs are carried out promptly to cracking in one child’s bedroom wall and a hole in one child’s bedroom door.

p.6

Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 16 December

p.6

Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

p.6

Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— 16 December Inspection report for children’s home: 1258092 7 ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c))

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that staff receive training around children’s sexualised behaviours and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

p.7

Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare and implement a policy which—

p.7

Requirement Due date

is intended to safeguard children accommodated in the children’s home from abuse or neglect; and

p.7

Requirement Due date

sets out the procedure to be followed in the event of an allegation of abuse or neglect.

p.7

Requirement Due date

The procedure to be followed in the event of an allegation of abuse or neglect must, in particular—

p.7

Requirement Due date

provide for records to be kept of an allegation of abuse or neglect, and the action taken in response. (Regulation 34 (1)(a)(b) (2)(d))

p.7

Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that the outcomes of allegations are recorded and the rationale for not reporting to Ofsted is clear. 16 December

p.7

Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records ("case records") for each child which—

p.7

Requirement Due date

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child. (Regulation 36 (1)(a))

p.7

Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that consequences for unwanted behaviour are recorded in line with regulation. 16 December

p.7

Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people, using the social care common inspection framework. This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service, how it meets the core functions of the service as set out in legislation, and to consider how well it complies with the Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’. Inspection report for children’s home: 1258092 8

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Cambian Childcare Limited

p.8

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 5th Floor, Metropolitan House, 3 Darkes Lane, Potters Bar EN6 1AG

p.8

Inspector

Lianne Bradford, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1258092 9 to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

p.8

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.9

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.9

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.9